McLachlan may not respect Constitution

Why recall Rep. Mike McLachlan? He has spoken with forked tongue: espousing one position while running for office and acting exactly the opposite immediately after taking office. True, in our republic, once elected, he legally can vote how he wants. But is there no moral responsibility? Thus the term “traitor.”

Secondly, it only took a stroking call from Vice President Joe Biden for him to forget all about his previous commitments to us. Is it his or our future that concerns him?

Third, with the country so split, why not “do no harm?” Surely, McLachlan knows, in all likelihood, none of the legislation he supported actually would have prevented the mass murders that brought this issue to the forefront. So why deprive all of us of freedoms for no productive reason? With millions of weapons already out there, are these laws even enforceable?

Fourth, he obviously believes in collective punishment for individual crimes. That is not the American way. How well has it worked for Israel?

Fifth, his count-the-mouths manner of legislation troubles me. This is a republic wherein you are elected to study and do the right thing, not just count mouths.

Sixth, is a background-check fee not like a poll tax on a constitutional right?

According to the historical record, the framers of the Constitution included the Second Amendment not just for the reasons often stated, but also because they were equally afraid of mob rule (witness the Electoral College). They also saw the need for a ready source of armed men already familiar with weaponry to staff local constabularies and state militia, as well as a small federal military. And they had no money. Their hope: Everybody buys their own weapons.

Finally, as the county’s attorney, McLachlan also must bear some responsibility for establishing in Colorado the legal precedent that local authorities can deprive through excessive land-use regulation, with no declared justification, private-property owners of more than 70 percent of the value of their property without paying one cent in compensation. Does he respect any constitutional rights?